Roasted Fennel Salad with Farro and Brussels Sprouts

This Roasted Fennel Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Farro is a delicious, dinner salad that is easy to make. It includes a warm bacon dressing that is incredible! Save it to Pinterest now so you can make it!

I don’t generally think of salads in fall as often as I do in the spring and the summer. I love a good summer salad full of bright, crisp veggies and a very light olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. But for fall and winter, there’s a shift. I crave cozy. I want warm things, filling things. A good, hearty salad with warm, caramelized vegetables; grains and a heavier dressing pulls all those elements together and lets me enjoy them in one bowl – in a way that is completely different from a summer salad. My Roasted Fennel Salad with Farro and Brussels Sprouts has become one of my favorite salads this season. I hope it will be one of your’s too. 

Working with fennel

I’ve been on a fennel kick this season. I love to just roast it and eat it by itself. I put it in this Sausage and Fennel Pasta {HERE} recently and it was incredible. It goes so well with salty sausage. Most people think fennel tastes like licorice or anise. Most people would be right, but only when fennel is raw. When fennel is cooked and caramelized it produces a beautiful, almost buttery flavor. (Perhaps somewhat due to the olive oil but still..) This flavor alone has made it one my favorite fall and winter vegetables. 

Brussels sprouts and spinach season

The cooler months also happen to be Brussels Sprouts and spinach season. I decided to add both of these to my Roasted Fennel Salad for a few reasons. 1. They are both packed full of nutrients. 2. I really wanted this to be a hearty, filling salad. I wanted it to feel like a meal and both Brussels Sprouts and spinach have a lit of fiber in them which helps to keep you fuller. 3. Since they are in season it made a lot of sense to use them in a fall and winter salad. 

The Brussels sprouts get cooked right along with the fennel and really provide a nice compliment to it. The fresh spinach really does make the Roasted Farrow Salad feel more like a meal versus and iceberge or romaine lettuce. 

Adding in farro

Again, in an effort to make this Roasted Fennel Salad feel like a full meal, I decided to add farro, which is a grain that is from ancient Mesopotamia. It has been found in the tombs of Egypt and was used to feed the Romans. Today it is still heavily grown in the central and Northern regions of Italy and is often used in Italian cooking. Farro is usually one of three ancient grains including einkorn, emmer and spelt. In the United States and often Europe, when we talk about farro it is usually emmer wheat. It has more fiber than brown rice or even oatmeal. If you’ve never eaten farro before then I should tell you it tastes similar to brown rice with a slightly nutty flavor. However, the texture is slightly different texture in that it is more of a kernel. 

Topping it all off

To top off this Roasted Fennel Salad I added on goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes. If you have made my recipes before then you know that I really love to layer flavors upon flavors. My Roasted Fennel Salad does that very well. Since I am a cheese lover, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to add in cheese and a beautiful, creamy goat cheese fit the bill. Additionally, I felt like the salad was missing a little color and acid so I decided to add on some sun dried tomatoes too. Although the flavors in this salad work really well together in a delightful, harmonious way. 

The warm bacon dressing

Because no salad is complete without a dressing, my Roasted Fennel Salad with Brussel Sprouts and Farro needed a good one! In keeping with the cozy, caramelized flavors, I knew I wanted something to compliment that. I decided on a warm, bacon dressing. Now, this dressing doesn’t look pretty when adding it to the salad. Warm bacon dressing is made with bacon fat so you can imagine how the bacon fat kind of sits. But the flavor is just perfect for all the elements of the salad! 

Tips for making Roasted Fennel Salad with Brussel Sprouts and Farro

• Cut and prep everything in advance. The Roasted Fennel Salad is meant to be served warm (although you can eat it once it has cooled too) and it will be easier to eat it warm if everything is done around the same time. Cutting everything first and measuring it is helpful to ensure this happens.
• Make sure to pay attention to the package directions for cooking the farro. You don’t want to overcook it or it may become mushy, similar to overcooked rice. 
• If you want to add a protein to the Roasted Fennel Salad, either a simple, well seasoned steak or chicken breast will be delicious. 
• If you want to use a different dressing on the salad, a ranch like my Homemade Ranch Dressing {HERE} or peppercorn dressing would work well. Something creamy and cold versus sweet.
• I don’t recommend storing this salad as a whole so make what you need and eat it. If you have extra parts to the salad, like fennel or Brussels sprouts or farrow, store them separately in air tight containers in the refrigerator. 
• If you have leftover dressing, store that in a dressing container in the refrigerator. I like to use Ball Jelly jars {HERE}, these mason jars {HERE} for dressing storage and these reusable lids {HERE}.
• To use the dressing again, warm it up in a sauce pan on the stove over low heat and whisk it gently. Due to the bacon fat in the dressing itself it will solidify in the refrigerator. 

Looking for more salad recipes or fall/winter recipes?

If you are looking for more fall and winter dinner recipes or salad recipes, try these here

• Beet and Apple Fall Salad recipe {HERE}
• Gouda and Apple Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken {HERE}
• Bacon and Mushroom Smothered Chicken {HERE}
• Oktoberfest Stew {HERE}
• Braised Apple Cider Turkey Breast {HERE}
• Maple and Plum Skillet Pork Chops {HERE}

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you love my Roasted Fennel Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Farrow recipe. You can find a full, printable recipe below with all the ingredients and steps. Happy Eating!

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Roasted Fennel Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Farro

This Roasted Fennel Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Farro is a delicious, dinner salad that is easy to make. It includes a warm bacon dressing that is incredible! Save it to Pinterest now so you can make it!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fall salad recipe, farrow salad, fennel salad, roasted fennel salad, winter salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2 salads

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Baking sheet
• large sauté pan
• Small food processor

Ingredients

Ingredients for the warm bacon dressing

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 sliced shallot
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or greek dressing
• 3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp chunky sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Ingredients for the salad

• 2-3 fennel bulbs cleaned and slice If you want you can save the fronds and add them to the salad for more fennel taste.
• 10-12 Brussels Sprouts, sliced in half
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups spinach per bowl 3 cups total
• 2/3 cup cooked farro per bowl 1 2/3 cup total
• 2 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese per bowl 4 total
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes per bowl 3 Tbsp total
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme per bowl 2 Tbsp total
• Additional sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Instructions for the Warm Bacon Dressing

• Add the bacon to a saute pan over medium heat and cook until done. Remove and add to a plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat drippings in the saute pan.
• Add the shallots to the pan and cook for 3 -4 minutes until softened and lightly charred. Then remove.
• In a blender combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper as desired. Wait for full flavor when the dressing is one the salad.
• * If you want to make sure this stays warm, simmer it on low in a sauce pan until ready to use.

Instructions for the salad

• Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
• Add the fennel and Brussles sprouts to a baking sheet and then brush them with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven, flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes.
• While the fennel roasts, cook farro per package directions and drain.
• Divid the spinach among two bowls. Top with the 2/3 cup of farro each. Add on the fennel, Brussels Sprouts, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and thyme. Spoon on the warm bacon dressing. Mix and season with additional sea salt and fresh cracked pepper as desired. Enjoy!